794 



Flora oj the Malayan Peninsula. 



Family XC— VBEBENACB^. 



Herbs, shrubs or trees. Leaves opposite or verticillate (apparently 

 alternate in Geunsia), simple, digitate or pinnate (Peronema); stipules 

 none. Inflorescence cymose, racemose or spicate, often in panicles ; 

 bracts usually small, sometimes leafy ; flowers hermaphrodite or some- 

 times polygamous, generally irregular, often brightly coloured, some- 

 times with coloured calyx or enlarged coloured involucre. Calyx 

 inferior, gamosepalous, 5- to 4- (rarely 6- to 8-) lobed, often accrescent. 

 Corolla gamopetalous ; tube usually cylindric or dilated above, often 

 curved ; limb 2-lipped or subequally lobed ; lobes 4 or 5, rarely more. 

 Stamens usually 4 didynamous, sometimes 2, sometimes 5. 6 or more, 

 inserted on the corolla-tube ; filaments free ; anthers 2-celled, opening 

 longitudinally. Ovary superior, sessile, 2- to 4-celled, entire or 4-lobed ; 

 ovules variously attached, 2 (sometimes 1) in each cell ; style terminal ; 

 stigma entire or bifid at apex. Fruit drupaceous with bony pyrenes, 

 or capsular, 1- to 4-celled; mesocarp usually fleshy; endocarp usually 

 bony. Seeds erect or pendulous, separate in distinct cells ; albumen 

 usually none; embryo straight; radicle inferior. — Distbib. Tropical 

 regions of both hemispheres, very few extending to temperate countries ; 

 species about 750. 



Inflorescence spicate, centripetal (the lowest flowers opening 

 first) (Tribe I. Vebbbne^) : — 



Shrubs or herbs with short spikes ; calyx minute ; stamens 4 ; 

 anther-cells parallel : — 

 Fruit a drupe with fleshy mesocarp 

 Fruit dry with thin granular mesocarp 

 Herbs with long spikes; calyx long, tubular; stamens 2; 

 anther-cells divaricate 

 Inflorescence cymose, centrifugal (the end flowers opening 

 first ) :— 



Cymes paniculate; drupes fleshy (Tribe II. Vitice^) : — 

 Leaves simple : — 

 Corolla regular ; stamens isomerous, equal : — 

 Flowers 5-merous ; drupe with 5 to 10 pyrenes 

 Flowers 4-merous ; drupe with 4 pyrenes . . 

 Flowers 4- to 6-merous ; drupe with 14-celled endocarp, 

 included in the accrescent calyx 

 Corolla 2-lipped ; stamens didynamous :— 

 Drupe with 1 pyrene : — 

 Flowers small 

 Flowers large 

 Drupe with 4 pyrenes (1 to 3 often suppressed) 

 Leaves digitate or in 1 species unifoliolate ; pyrene 1 



Lantana. 



LiPPIA. 



3. Stachytaupheta. 



4. 



Geunsia. 



5. 



Callicarpa. 



6. 



Tectona. 



7. 



Premna. 



8. 



Gmelina. 



9. 



Clerodendron, 



10. 



Vitex. 



